Museums

Budapest is packed with museums and galleries, and there are plenty of temporary exhibitions in the most unlikely of settings, particularly in summer - so keep your eyes peeled. Also note that most museums are closed on Mondays. Budapest Card holders can visit museums at a discounted rate. For a detailed list of museums included please visit: Budapest Card - list of services.

Hungarian National Museum Founded on the personal collection of philanthropist Count Ferenc Széchenyi, the National Museum has been home to a stunning array of Hungarian art since 1802. The artwork and artefacts on the inside are equally impressive and include St Stephen's coronation cloak and huge frescoes and wall friezes.

Hungarian National Gallery Occupying three wings of the Buda Royal Palace, the National Gallery contains around 100,000 works of art from the 11th century onwards, including architectural remains, carvings, reliefs and paintings.

Museum of Fine Arts One of Europe's most important art museums gives a home to the memories of universal art from antiquity till the present day. Visitors are welcomed with changing and permanent exhibitions with both Hungarian and foreign guides as well as activities for children.

House of Terror For the much of the last century, 60 Andrássy Street was an address that struck fear into the hearts of Hungarians. First, it became the headquarters of the Hungarian ultra-right party, the Arrow Cross regime in 1944, before being taken over by the Communist secret police until the short-lived 1956 revolution. The building has now been converted into a museum, incorporating the cellars - and even the instruments - used to torture prisoners. It is designed as much to remind visitors of the horrors of the totalitarianism as it is to educate.

Memento Park After the fall of the Communist regime in 1989, many of the Communist statues and monuments were immediately removed in Hungary. These items formed the basis for the current collection of the Statue Park. Marx, Engels and Lenin are just a few of the socialist heroes whose alter egos are found here. This is the world's unique such collection from the period of communist cultural politics and it's the most exciting outdoor museum in Central Europe. The Memento Park is accessible via public transport (direct bus) from Deák Square.

The Museum of Military History The museum exhibits military objects and documents either of Hungarian origin or relating to the military history of Hungary. The exhibition "Thirteen Days about the 1956 Revolution" is well worth viewing.

The Budapest History Museum The museum presents the 2000-year old history of the capital. The fascinating collection of artefacts and historical documents traces the city's and the castle's history via three distinct exhibitions. In summertime visitors can walk in the reconstructed mediaeval gardens, climb on the top of the castle walls and up the panoramic Buzogány Tower.

Museum of Ethnography One of Europe's largest specialist museums with around 139,000 Hungarian and 53,000 international art objects. The ornate interior served as Hungary's Supreme Court until 1975. The exhibition includes a variety of temporary exhibitions of artwork, photography, clothing and jewellery.

Vasarely Museum The museum is named after Hungarian born painter Győző Vásárhelyi who moved to Paris in 1930 to work and who as Victor Vasarely gained world fame as the founder of the op-art movement. His pictures use sharp colours, geometric forms and optical illusions.

Ludwig Museum Relocated to the newly built Palace of Arts, the Ludwig Museum was Hungary's first international showcase for contemporary art documenting the progression of Hungarian artists as they attempted to break out of Socialist Realism.

Museum of Applied Arts Museum of Applied ArtsThe grand building with the green tiled roof you see as you enter the city from the airport, contains a wide range of textiles, ceramics and furniture handed down through the centuries. More than anything, it is worth visiting for its breathtaking interiors.

KOGart KOGart is an Andrássy út mansion dedicated to art and pleasure. Regular exhibitions, events and concerts are just part of the story, the building also boasts an excellent restaurant and coffee house.

Uránia mozi Small cinemas in Hungary are being upstaged by large and impersonal multiplexes and Hollywood blockbusters, but some bastions of small-scale, arty filmmaking remain. The Uránia cinema is the perfect antidote to bright lights and popcorn, even if you don't catch a film, drop in for a coffee, it's quite an oppulent experience!